List of the oldest newspapers facts for kids

A 1609 title page of the German Relation, the world's first newspaper founded in 1605

This article explores the oldest newspapers from around the world, showing how they started and grew over time. Newspapers are printed papers that share news and information. They first appeared in Europe in the 17th century. Before that, people mostly wrote down news by hand. The invention of the printing press helped newspapers spread quickly.

Today, the oldest newspaper still being printed with its original name is the Gazzetta di Mantova. It has been published regularly in Mantua (Italy) since 1664.

What Makes a Newspaper a Newspaper?
Oldest Newspapers Around the World
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What Makes a Newspaper a Newspaper?

To be called a newspaper, a publication usually needs to meet four main rules:

Publicity: Anyone can easily get and read its information.
Periodicity: It comes out regularly, like every day or every week.
Currentness: The news it shares is fresh and up-to-date.
Universality: It covers many different kinds of topics, not just one.

Oldest Newspapers Around the World

Let's discover some of the very first newspapers from different parts of the world.

Europe's First News

Avisa Relation oder Zeitung, one of the earliest newspapers

The title page of "Wöchentliche Zeitung aus mancherley Orten" from Gdańsk, 1619

Ordinari Post Tijdender, the world's oldest newspaper still published (since 1645, now digital-only)

Newspapers started in Europe, with Germany and the Netherlands leading the way.

In 1605, the Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien was published in Strasbourg (which was part of the Holy Roman Empire). It's known as the world's first weekly newspaper.
Just four years later, in 1609, the Avisa Relation oder Zeitung started in Wolfenbüttel, also in the Holy Roman Empire.
The Courante uyt Italien, Duytslandt, &c. began in 1618 in Amsterdam, Dutch Republic. It was special because it was printed on large sheets of paper, making it the world's first "broadsheet" newspaper.
In 1618, the Wöchentliche Zeitung aus mancherley Orten (meaning "Weekly News from Many Places") was published in Gdańsk, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. This is the oldest newspaper in Poland.
France got its first newspaper in 1631 with La Gazette in Paris. It was the first French-language weekly magazine and ran for a very long time, until 1915.
The Ordinari Post Tijdender from Stockholm, Sweden, started in 1645. This newspaper is still published today, though it's only available online since 2007, making it the oldest continuously published newspaper in the world.
In 1650, the Einkommende Zeitungen from Leipzig, Holy Roman Empire, became the world's first daily newspaper.
The Gazzetta di Mantova from Mantua, Italy, began in 1664. It holds the record as the oldest newspaper still printed on paper in the world.
England's Oxford Gazette started in 1665 in Oxford. It later moved to London and changed its name to London Gazette, which is still published today.
The Wiener Zeitung from Vienna, Austria, began in 1703. It was published daily until 2023.
Berrow's Worcester Journal from Worcester, England, claims to have started in 1690 and is still published.
The Daily Courant from London, England, was the world's first daily newspaper in English, starting in 1702. It stopped publishing in 1735.
Russia's first newspaper, Vedomosti, started in 1702 in Moscow. It later moved to St. Petersburg and is still published today after being re-created in 1991.
The Times from London, England, a very famous newspaper, started in 1785 and is still published.
The Observer from London, England, started in 1791 and was the world's first Sunday newspaper. It is still published.
Switzerland's Neue Zürcher Zeitung from Zürich began in 1780 and is still published.

News from the Americas

The first issue of the New England Courant, one of the oldest newspapers in the Americas

The Southern Star / La Estrella del sur was the first newspaper edited in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1807, during British rule.

Newspapers in the Americas started in the early 18th century, first in the British colonies and then spreading across the continent.

The first newspaper in the Thirteen Colonies (which later became the United States) was The Boston News-Letter, started in 1704 in Boston, Massachusetts. It is no longer published.
La Gaceta de México was the first newspaper in Latin America, published in 1722 in Mexico City, New Spain.
The Maryland Gazette from Annapolis, Maryland, started in 1727 and is still published today as The Capital.
Canada's first newspaper was the Halifax Gazette from City of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1752. It later became a government publication.
The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph from Quebec City, Quebec, started in 1764 and is the oldest surviving North American newspaper that has been published continuously by the same company.
The Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut, also began in 1764 and is still published.
The Montreal Gazette started in 1778 in Montreal, Province of Quebec. It was originally in French and later became English. It is still published.
The first newspaper in Colombia was Gazeta de Santafé de Bogotá, started in 1785 in Bogotá.
The New York Post began in 1801 in New York City and is still published today.
The Southern Star was the first newspaper in Uruguay, published in 1807 in Montevideo.
Brazil's Diário de Pernambuco from Recife started in 1825. It is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in Latin America and the oldest continuously published periodical in Portuguese.
El Mercurio de Valparaíso from Valparaíso, Chile, began in 1827. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper under the same name in Spanish.
The Providence Journal from Providence, Rhode Island, started in 1829 and is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the U.S.
The Gleaner from Kingston, Jamaica, started in 1834 and is still published.
Toronto Star from Toronto, Canada, began in 1892 and is still published.

African Newspapers Beginnings

The first newspaper in Africa was started by the French in Mauritius in 1773.

Annonces, Affiches et Avis Divers pour les Colonies des Isles de France et de Bourbon was the first newspaper in Mauritius, published weekly from 1773 to at least 1790.
South Africa's first newspaper was the Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser, which began in 1800 in Cape Town.
Al-Waqa'i' al-Masriyya from Cairo, Egypt, started in 1828 and was the first Turkish newspaper. It is still published.
Nigeria's Iwe Irohin was founded in 1859 in Abeokuta. It was published twice a week in both Yoruba and English.
Al-Ahram from Cairo, Egypt, started in 1875 and is still published.
Kurdistan was the first newspaper in the Kurdish language, with its first issue printed in Cairo in 1898.

South Asia's Early Press

The first attempts to start newspapers in South Asia were in Calcutta in the late 18th century.

Hicky's Bengal Gazette or, The Original Calcutta General Advertiser was the first newspaper in South Asia, published weekly from 1780 in Calcutta, Company's India.
The India Gazette or Calcutta Public Advertiser was the second newspaper in South Asia, starting in 1780 in Calcutta.
Madras Courier was the first newspaper in Madras, starting in 1785.
Azdarar was the first Armenian newspaper, published from 1794 to 1796 in Madras.
The Ceylon Government Gazette was the first newspaper in British Ceylon, appearing in 1802 in Colombo.
Samachar Darpan was the first Indian-language newspaper, a Bengali weekly published from 1818 in Frederiknagore, Danish India.
Bombay Samachar from Bombay, Company's India, started in 1822 and is the oldest newspaper in India still being published. It is in the Gujarati language.
The Times of India from Bombay, started in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce. It is the oldest English-language newspaper in India still published.
Gorkhapatra from Kathmandu, Kingdom of Nepal, started as a weekly in 1901 and became a daily in 1961. It is the oldest state-owned national daily newspaper of Nepal.

Oceania's First Papers

Newspapers in Oceania began in Australia in the early 19th century.

The Sydney Gazette was the first newspaper in Australia, published weekly from 1803 to 1842 in Sydney.
The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, Australia, started in 1831 (originally called the Sydney Herald) and is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia.
New Zealand Gazette was the first newspaper published in New Zealand, starting in 1840 in Wellington.
Wanganui Chronicle from Wanganui, New Zealand, started in 1856 and is New Zealand's oldest surviving newspaper.
The Fiji Times from Levuka, Fiji, started in 1869 and is the oldest newspaper in Fiji still operating.

East Asia's News Beginnings

Newspapers in East Asia started in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and then spread to other countries.

Bataviase Nouvelles en Politique Raisonnementes was the first newspaper in present-day Indonesia, published in 1744 in Batavia.
The Prince of Wales Island Gazette from Penang, British Malaya, was the first newspaper in Southeast Asia, starting in 1806.
Del Superior Govierno from Manila, Spanish East Indies, was the oldest newspaper in the Philippines and the oldest Spanish-language newspaper in Asia, published in 1811.
The Bangkok Recorder was Thailand's first newspaper, published in 1844 in Bangkok in both English and Thai.
The Straits Times from Singapore, Straits Settlements, began in 1845 and is still published today.
North China Herald from Shanghai, China, started as a weekly in 1850 and later became a daily.
Japan's first newspaper was Nagasaki Shipping List and Advertiser [ja], an English newspaper from 1861 in Nagasaki.
The Manila Times from Manila, Captaincy General of the Philippines, started in 1898 and is the oldest English-language newspaper in the Philippines still operating under its name.

Images for kids

First issue of the New England Courant, the oldest newspaper in the Americas
The Southern Star / La Estrella del sur was the first newspaper edited in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1807, while the city was under British rule.
North China Herald, August 3, 1850.